The Kirkus Prize is one of the richest literary awards in the world, with a prize of $50,000 bestowed annually to authors of fiction, nonfiction and young readers’ literature. It was created to celebrate the 81 years of discerning, thoughtful criticism Kirkus Reviews has contributed to both the publishing industry and readers at large. Books that earned the Kirkus Star with publication dates between November 1, 2015, and October 31, 2016 (see FAQ for exceptions), are automatically nominated for the 2016 Kirkus Prize, and the winners will be selected on November 3, 2016, by an esteemed panel composed of nationally respected writers and highly regarded booksellers, librarians and Kirkus critics.

KIRKUS REVIEW

Gabriel Allon may be a talented,
world-renowned restorer of classic paintings, but he’s willing to kneecap a
Russian spy if necessary.

In Silva’s (The Heist, 2014,
etc.) latest, Allon, bravura field agent for "the Office," Israel’s
secret spy organization, isn’t worried about art supplies. He’s after Eamon
Quinn, a mercenary who was once the Real IRA's top bomb-maker, who's just
killed the widely beloved ex-wife of the future king of England, an
"immensely shy and beautiful middle-class girl" who turned out to be
"wholly unsuited for life in the royal fishbowl." It turns out the
princess was collateral damage, her assassination engineered to lure Allon and
Christopher Keller, British SAS veteran–turned–professional assassin, into
pursuit. The Russian spy agency has hired Quinn to kill Allon as payback for
destroying its plot to blackmail Britain’s prime minister into granting North
Sea oil rights. Quinn gets a bonus: Keller, his blood-enemy from the days of
the Troubles. With Vienna’s, London’s, and Belfast’s mean streets providing
atmosphere, Silva deftly weaves together narrative threads and seamlessly drops
in back story without boring longtime fans. Allon’s always an empathetic
protagonist; now Keller’s character gets depth and nuance. Allon and Keller,
ego and id laser-focused on Quinn, are lured into a London bombing and then a
gunfight raid at a Real IRA safe house deep in Bandit Country. The realistic
and relentless action is framed by bureaucratic back-stabbing and
blame-shifting as MI6’s Graham Seymour and MI5’s Amanda Wallace are left
to explain more than one double, or triple, agent dead or
disappeared.

This page-turner deepens Allon’s
legend and illuminates more of his shadowy world, all while cementing Silva’s
place among the top tier of spy thriller writers.

Be the first to discover new talent!
Each week, our editors select the one author and one book they believe to be most worthy of your attention and highlight them in our Pro Connect email alert.
Sign up here to receive your FREE alerts.